Emocionado De Verte

"We're gonna' eat jamón ibérico and drink cava every night." Having not been out of the U.S. in years, I'm incredibly excited to report I'll be staying in Barcelona for the month of May. I haven't been to Barcelona before though for the last couple years the universe has been sending lots of signals that it's the spot. Even last Friday, I was talking to Kyle and my mom about our trip and waiter interjected, "You're going to Barcelona? I am too! It's the best city in the world." Immediately after that, someone at the table next to us remarked, "omg is someone going to Barcelona?" It's those fortuitous moments that makes me believe you should listen to the universe when it's got something to say.

To that, I'm hoping you, dear reader, will of recommendations for fun people to meet, places to go, and tips for the city. I'm a big planner when it comes to "Places To Visit", building out elaborate Google Maps (122 places and counting) knowing that, no matter where in a city may be, I know there's some place I can stop for a coffee or a bite to eat, maybe do some shopping. We're especially hoping to meet up with folks while we're there. If you live in Barcelona, or know great people in the city, Kyle and I would love to hang out (as well as our two dogs, Scooter and Olly). I’ll certainly be sharing our adventures in this newsletter as we travel, I can’t wait!

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✖️ — I think we all have that dream client we’d love to work with, be it a storied brand that’s well-known or the hot new thing. So imagine that the Eames Institute, a new non-profit organization where the lessons of Ray and Charles are brought to life for a new generation willing to explore the “boundaries of problems.,” comes to your door wanting help? That’s what Manual, along with other friends of TFIB like Instrument and Josh Cochran, took on recently, creating a brand that’s inspired by decades of incredible design but brought together to feel completely contemporary. Really looking forward to seeing how this design system continues to grow and evolve.

✖️ — Speaking of Barcelona, the OFFF Festival is back, running from May 5—7, with an impressive line-up of guests, including Hvass & Hannibal, Malika Favre, Liam Wong, David Carson, Young Jerks, Porta Rocha, Kelli Anderson, David Milan, Refik Anadol, Andy Cruz, and so many more. If you’re going to be in town, hit me up!

✖️ — Selling an experience using scents is a long standing practice, think Disneyland piping cookie smells on Main Street or the very idea of passing an Abercrombie & Fitch in a mall. The world of scent branding is starting to become more of a necessity than a gimmick and this piece by Jude Stewart gives a great overview on the current state and where the world is headed. I would love to create me own scent one day, future Bobby goals, right there.

✖️ — I’ve been following along with Alisa Burzic’s 36 Days of Type and I’ve been so wow’ed with her progress. Above is a little taste of what she’s been up to, her letter Z, which is such a playful way of tackling a pretty straightforward letter. She’s currently finishing up the numbers and I’ll be curious to see what she does next year!

✖️ — The next film I’m so excited to see is Everything Everywhere All At Once, which stars Michelle Yeoh in a multiversal epic that looks incredible. Directed by Daniels (Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert), “the film is a hilarious and big-hearted sci-fi action adventure about an exhausted Chinese American woman who can't seem to finish her taxes.” LOL. Can’t wait to see, if you haven’t seen the trailer, click here.

✖️ — Recently I was seeing quite a few great reviews for the new Ed Fella book, A Life In Images, that was published by Unit Editions so I figured I’d pick a copy up. I was absolutely delighted opening it up as it truly showcases the range and depth of Fella’s talents. It’s fascinating to see how adept he was at most mediums—be it illustration, typography, graphic design, or photography—and it was clear to me how his influences are still being felt in the creative world today. If you’re looking for a book for a bit of inspiration I’d highly recommend this.

✖️ — I came across the design work of Harshal Duddalwar, a designer from India who’s currently working toward their MFA at RISD. His work is a super bold and eye-catching, utilizing lots of interesting type and patterns to build some beautiful projects. I’d highly recommend checking out Alankar, a Devanagari (an Indic script) variable type and a tool that distills the letters to visual abstraction, and the branding and website for InOrdinary, a curated platform of functional pieces crafted by contemporary artists.

✖️ — Los Angeles based designers Willo Perron and Brian Roettinger combined powers last year to start Perron-Roettinger, a powerhouse studio that focuses on identity and branding, interior design, books and publishing, as well as the design of live events. It’s pretty remarkable looking through their work to see the sheer breadth of their work, like their identity work for non-alcoholic apertif Ghia or the stunning studio space for Fear of God.

✖️ — If you need some new music to listen to, check these out: Sally Shapiro / Sad Cities (The Remixes), Fabric Presents Leon Vynehall, Nilüfer Yanya / PAINLESS, Elori Saxl / The Blue of Distance, Whatever The Weather / Whatever The Weather.

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The Trend Report™ by my partner, Kyle Raymond Fitzpatrick, is a sharp and insightful look at everything going on in the world, arriving every Sunday to your inbox. Highly recommended, obviously.